Author 'crucified' on Twitter for planning to write a book on masculinity

zainab quadri

June 17, 2015 11:40 AM

‘If a man wants to write about gender and the pitfalls of masculinity, they’re met with sneers,’ says Matt Haig

The author Matt Haig found himself “crucified” online after suggesting that his next non-fiction title could be a book tackling masculinity.

According to The Guardian UK, Haig, who has won awards for his bestselling novels and wrote a recent memoir about depression, Reasons to Stay Alive, proposed on Twitter that his next book may be about masculinity. “Maybe I am missing something. There may be too many books about and by men, but not many looking at the perils of masculinity. Am I wrong?” he wrote on 13 June. “Unless you want to DO AWAY WITH MEN, then we need to look at what masculinity is and why its current interpretation causes problems.”

Haig said his argument would be that “men benefit more than women from sexism, but both would be better off with feminism”. He found himself quickly flooded with condemnation from those telling him to “stop talking about feminism now”, that he “has been mansplaining feminism”, and that “feminism doesn’t exist to help males. Period.”

‘If a man wants to write about gender and the pitfalls of masculinity, they’re met with sneers,’ says the bestselling author, who disputes criticism that he is antifeminist.

Haig, whose novels include The Radleys and The Last Family in England, said that a book about “a crisis in masculinity” would not be antifeminist. “How clear can I put this? I am not denying female oppression, I am trying to stop it by calling for a more fluid masculinity,” he wrote. “I have never felt oppressed by women, or that feminism is a problem. I do think boys find it hard to like things seen as feminine. I want my son not to feel self-conscious he likes ballet and my daughter to carry on playing Han Solo, that’s all.”

Haig, whose comments were supported on Twitter by writers including Sophie Hannah, Frank Cottrell Boyce and Kamila Shamsie, said he had “abandoned the idea of the book”, but he now feels “the Twitter reaction shows it needs to be written”, and would go ahead with it if he finds a publisher

Enhance Your Pulse News Experience!

Get rewards worth up to $20 when selected to participate in our exclusive focus group. Your input will help us to make informed decisions that align with your needs and preferences.

I've got feedback!

zainab quadri